Players who play for their Parent who Coaches

[Rolling Hard]

2nd baseman = AC"s DD

 

[Borrowingminds]

This is an interesting question posed here by Rad. I have been a parent coach at the LL level and the lower travel ball level. Like many of you, I was forced into coaching due to a lack of other available bodies, so I volunteered to help out.

Here's how it went for me. I was one of the better LL coaches. I ran plenty of practices, volunteered a lot of my time, and made the girls better players. There were no financial issues with the families, so it went smoothly, and I always rotated players to any position they wanted to play. In general, my daughters loved playing for me in LL, and I think I had a positive impact on those young girls.

Travel was a different animal. I put together a 12U team in late 2016 that would play in the spring and summer of 2017. It was foolish of me to do so, but I did it because I didn't want my 2004 daughter playing with the other 12U team in the organization because the coach's daughter and another player were 2006 births. Also, the bulk of the rest of the girls were 2005 births, so I felt having my 2004 girls with the younger kids would be detrimental to her growth. The problem was the team I put together wasn't very good. Check that; we stunk. We had a winning percentage the equivalent of Bluto Blutarski's GPA in Animal House. The team started to fracture by the third local tournament, and by the end of the summer, we were done. Even after I brought in a college girl to run the team, it was still a disaster. My 2006 daughter, who had to play up with me due to no 10U team being in the organization, wound up being my best pitcher. Two of my other pitchers were daughters of two of my assistants, and one quit in the middle of a tournament, while the other caused the team more grief than anyone else combined.

After that disaster of a season, I never coached my younger daughter in travel again. I helped my older daughter's teams where I could, but I refused to take the coaching reigns again in TB. The softball divorce was the best thing I could do for our relationship. Now, like @pattar, I watch the games from 300' away. I don't interact with the other parents and families, not because I am being rude, but because I don't want any of the drama. In fact, at O'Fallon, IL this weekend, the parent in charge of GameChanger asked if I could help because he needed to leave early and the guy doing it was new at it. I politely declined. I don't want any part of it anymore.

Oddly enough, I would love to help my older daughter coach after she graduates from college

I'll be in O'Fallon this weekend watching my youngest DD play! This fall is the 1st time I have had no part in coaching her, and it has been very enjoyable for us both. There was never any friction, she just moved on to an age appropriate team (she always played up with her older sister) that also has a few friends as teammates and she is absolutely loving the opportunity.

I still coach my older dd, so I am feeling the best of both worlds atm...I am really enjoying it. My older dd prob thinks it isn't fair

 

[Bullseye]

Reading thread these are people from the parent's perspective not the perspective of their child who would be well served to get out from underneath the comfort blanket of their parent being on the field with them year after year. Learning to take direction from someone other than the parent is a life skill that should not be overlooked.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Reading thread these are people from the parent's perspective not the perspective of their child who would be well served to get out from underneath the comfort blanket of their parent being on the field with them year after year. Learning to take direction from someone other than the parent is a life skill that should not be overlooked.

There usually isn't any comfort blankets in these cases. Maybe a bed of nails.
There is a long list of top D1 players that had their parent (usually dad) as a TB or HS coach.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Learning to take direction from someone other than the parent is a life skill that should not be overlooked.

Why does entertainment need to teach my kid life skills?

This is how we end up with subpar coaches. They are enabled by parents with the cover of "learning life skills".

 

[Bullseye]

Why does entertainment need to teach my kid life skills?

You being dismissive about young people being able to think for themselves and have goals is weak.

 

[PapaBear]

Coached both kids (one in softball and one in baseball). Marriage got better once I stopped.

 

[Bullseye]

There usually isn't any comfort blankets in these cases. Maybe a bed of nails.
There is a long list of top D1 players that had their parent (usually dad) as a TB or HS coach.

Anytime a child is being coached by their parent they are still under the comfort blanket. At some point getting out from under the comfort blanket is the best thing for a child developing. In most cases where a parent keeps thinking they are the best coach for their child the parent is neglecting what the child really needs. How long is the list you think have only been coached by their parent? I think that is an extremely short list of successful players. Beyond that would be very hard to determine what skills the player learned and what skills they did not because they were not introduced to interacting with another adult coaching them.

 

[jdint]

Why does entertainment need to teach my kid life skills?

This is how we end up with subpar coaches. They are enabled by parents with the cover of "learning life skills".

Could not possibly agree more. The minute I hear "life skills," is the moment we head for ze hills.

 

[_MIA_]

Could not possibly agree more. The minute I hear "life skills," is the moment we head for ze hills.

I played for plenty of coaches besides my father and my life skills still suck..